You are viewing PAUL MCCARTNEY

Back in 2005, Paul wrote a children’s adventure book called High in the Clouds with author Philip Ardagh, and he’d been developing it into an animated feature since 2009 with Gaumont optioning the rights last year. The project is seeing more forwards movement with The Woman in Black: Angel of Death writer Jon Croker being brought on to adapt Paul’s book.

The book and planned film tells the story of “Wirral the squirrel,” who goes on a journey to find the animal paradise called Animalia after his forest home is destroyed by bulldozers, killing his mother in the process. (So it sounds like Bambie meets Zootopia?)

Paul himself is likely to voice one of the main characters with Lady Gaga writing a number of original songs for the movie, and Pearl Jam’s Mike McCready.

Gaumont will produce the film with Michael Lynn and Bob Shaye of Unique Features, who have been involved with the project for many years.Paul will be producing the film through his MPL Communications along with Shaye, Lynne, Gaumont CEO Sidonie Dumas, vice-CEO Christophe Riandée, and president of animation Nicolas Atlan.

They’ve been sunning it up over the Christmas period on the beautiful island of St Barts in the Caribbean. And now Paul and Nancy waved goodbye to their festive getaway as they boarded a plane back home on Friday.
Paul graciously thanked the airport staff before boarding.

Paul and Nancy arrived in St Barts on Boxing Day with his daughter Stella’s sons, four months after St Barts was rocked by devastating Hurricane Irma.

Asked about his plans for 2018, Paul said, “I’ll probably be putting out a new album.” He added that he was “putting the finishing touches to it now,” in the same Q&A from his official website.

It’s unclear who’ll serve as principal producer, though Paul earlier confirmed sessions with Adele producer Greg Kurstin. That would continue a period of high-profile collaborations. Paul added that expectations are running high for the as-yet-unnamed project, which apparently will include a song about President Donald Trump.

“I’d like that to be something I really love and then hopefully the fans will love it too,” Paul said. “I would like to achieve making that a really great album. Fingers crossed! That’s not what it’s called, but fingers crossed! [Pauses] It could be … it could be the new album title.”

As part of the End the Silence charity campaign, Paul reveals that Gene Vincent‘s “Be-Bop-A-Lula” had a huge impact on him as a youth.

“‘Be-Bop-A-Lula’ was the very first record I bought,” says the Beatles legend in a video interview. “I saved up all my pocket money and I went down to the city center in Liverpool, there was a little shop called Currys and it was really an electrical goods store but in the back, there was a little record booth and I knew I could get the record there.”

The Gene Vincent song came out in spring of 1956, which would have put McCartney at about 14 at the time. McCartney would start jamming with fellow teenager John Lennon just a year later in 1957.

Macca goes on to discuss how important music was to his childhood, stating, “I can’t imagine growing up without listening to music, I just can’t. Because I was so lucky, y’know, there was a lotta music around, my uncles and aunties enjoyed music, you’d go to a party, all the aunties would be singing so there was a lotta music so to imagine not having music is terrifying. I don’t know what I would’ve done. I certainly wouldn’t be who I am today.”

As mentioned, the video interview is part of the End the Silence campaign, a UK-based initiative that is seeking to raise money and awareness for children in orphanages around the world. For more information, visit EndTheSilence.com.